The present invention relates to a modularized light-guiding apparatus and manufacturing method, especially to a kind adapted for use in a light-guiding apparatus for an optical scanning apparatus, and to proceed modularization and design for the reflection elements in the light-guiding apparatus to facilitate manufacture and assembly, and to be able to transform out modularized light-guiding apparatus with different light-path lengths, and the corresponding manufacturing method.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows an embodiment for a typical flat bed optical scanner 1 seen in current market. Mainly, a document window glass is arranged on an upper side surface of the outer shell 11 of a scanner 1 to place a scanned document (not shown). An optical chassis 14, driven by a driving apparatus 13, proceeds a linear motion along the direction of a guiding rod 15 inside a hollow outer shell 11 to proceed an image-scanning job for the document on the glass 12.
Please refer to FIG. 2, which is an Axe2x80x94A sectional view for the optical chassis 14 of a prior optical scanner 1 in FIG. 1. The optical chassis 14 includes: a hollow shell body 141, a light source 142, which is positioned at an appropriate position on the upper side plane of the shell body 141, a light-guiding apparatus, which is assembled by plural reflection mirrors 143, a lens set 144, and a charge-coupled device 145. The light source 142 emits a light to the document (not shown), and its reflection light enters into the interior of the shell body 141 of the optical chassis 14 and is reflected by the plural reflection mirrors 143 in the light-guiding apparatus to lengthen its optical length to an appropriate length. Afterwards, the reflected light is focused by the lens set 144 and formed into an image on the charge-coupled device 145, by which the scanned image data is converted into electronic signals.
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which show the prior optical chassis 14. Because the reflection mirror 143 is constructed by plating silver on a thin-plate-typed glass that is unable to be directly piled-up and positioned by itself, so additional spring pieces 146, fixture mechanism or method of matching screw locking are needed to fix the reflection mirror 143 at predetermined position inside the shell body 141. Not only the positioning elements of additional spring pieces 146 and fixture mechanism would directly cause the increase of parts number and production cost and raise the assembly time and manpower cost, but also if plenty number of assembly parts is existed, then the occupying volume is caused to increase, and it is unavoidable to happen the situation that the parts loose or uneven holding strength would cause position bias for the reflection mirror 143 and lower down the quality of image scanning. Furthermore, because the elasticity fatigue of the spring pieces 146 caused by long-period use would reduce its holding force or under the vibration situations happened during machine transportation, the prior arts that employ the spring pieces 145 as fixture mechanism for holding the reflection mirror 143 may also occur the situations of loose or position bias in the reflection mirror 143 and cause the quality lowering-down in image scanning and that is needed to be improved.
Furthermore, there is still one big shortcoming in the light-guiding apparatus of the prior optical chassis 14 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2; namely, since each piece of reflection mirror has only one reflection plane to proceed single reflection for the light, and in order to reach the total track (abbreviated as TT value, which is the total value of Y1+Y2 . . .+Y5 as shown in FIG. 2) needed by the lens set 144 to focus image clearly, so the distance between each reflection mirror 143 is needed to elongate (i.e. increase the values of Y2 and Y3), or the light is reflected twice on one reflection mirror, or additional number of reflection mirror is needed to increase for increasing the times of reflection. However, the elongation of distance between each reflection mirror 143 would directly cause the enlargement of the total volume of the optical chassis 14. Twice reflections proceeded on one single mirror would cause the area increase for the reflection mirror or raise the complexity on the designs of light-path routes. And, the increase of the number of reflection mirrors would then cause the raise for both difficult and cost in element assembly and mirror position for the optical chassis 14. All these arrangements are not the perfect solution methods.
Additionally, for all the light-guiding apparatus in the optical chassis seen in current market, its reflection mirror 143 all is reflection mirror of thin-plate-shaped glass, neither each reflection mirror 143 is modularized design, nor can be inter-piled-up or positioned, while additional design for positioning devices is needed to position the inter-angles and distances between each reflection mirrors 143. Not only any errors on any position angle would cause the lowering-down of scanning quality, but also for the needs of different resolution, different outer sizes of optical chassis, different scanning paper sizes (the sizes of A3 or A4), or other needs for different light-path routes or total track of optical chassis, a set of position device is designed from the beginning to change the inter-position between each reflection mirror 143, and the usage is very inefficient.
The first object of the present invention is to provide a modularized light-guiding apparatus and manufacturing method, which include several reflection elements in modularized design, wherein at least one reflection element has two reflection planes and may provide at least twice reflection for light to increase the length of light-path route provided by a single reflection element, thereby a less number of reflection element in a narrow space of light-guiding apparatus would generate relatively larger light-path length.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a modularized light-guiding apparatus and manufacturing method, which include several reflection elements in modularized design. Each reflection element all is a single element formed to one body, and has different numbers of reflection plane to provide different values of light-path length. Under the condition of no change in the outer volume and size of the light-path apparatus, it is possible to reach the function of changing total track of the light-path apparatus by choosing the reflection elements with different numbers of reflection plane for connection and assembly to fulfil the needs for optical chassis having different total tracks, and it is completely unnecessary to design a new optical chassis from the beginning.
The third object of the present invention is to provide a modularized light-guiding apparatus and manufacturing method, which include several reflection elements in modularized design. Each reflection all is a single element formed to one body and has substantially same edge size and adjoining plane. Further, it is sufficient to complete the position for the inter-angles and distances between each reflection element to become a light-guiding apparatus, simply by inter-butting and inter-piling-up the adjacent planes between each reflection element. Even, no additional position mechanism is needed to proceed the position between each reflection elements. However, the present invention may also fix each reflection element to avoid its loose by applying additional position means.
Preferably, by arranging a position plate individually at two end sides of the reflection elements, and arranging inter-setting-in convex points and concave holes at predetermined positions at two end sides of the position plate and each reflection element, and last by setting-in both convex point and concave hole to make the reflection element position and connect at the predetermined position on the position plate, it can be reached the position and fixation for plural reflection elements.
Preferably, no matter how many numbers of reflection planes are possessed by the reflection device, the directions and positions for light entering into and emitting away the reflection elements are all the same.
For your esteemed review committee to further understand and recognize the present invention, a detailed description in company with matching drawings are present as following.